


A Literary Christmas Eve

by Ink_Gypsy



Series: Sanctuary Singles [29]
Category: Lord of the Rings RPF (AU)
Genre: AU, Advent Calendar, M/M, Sanctuary Universe, Sean Astin/Elijah Wood - Freeform, fffc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 14:20:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17326610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ink_Gypsy/pseuds/Ink_Gypsy
Summary: On Christmas Eve, back home after her Thanksgiving visit, Hannah begins reading one of Sean’s novels.





	A Literary Christmas Eve

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Frodo Flash Fiction Challenge Advent Calendar, Day 10 picture prompt.
> 
> This takes place after _Giving Thanks, Part 3_ in the original Sanctuary story. The young woman in the photo doesn’t resemble Hannah, so I’m using it more as inspiration rather than illustration.

[ ](https://imgur.com/wldnFzE)

Hannah didn’t expect to spend her Christmas Eve reading a book. She certainly hadn’t planned it, but she’d lifted the box containing the copies of his novels that Sean had sent her, meaning to move it to her desk, and folding back the flaps, couldn’t resist exploring the titles. _Dreamer’s Chance_ was on the top of the pile. It was the book Elijah had liked so much, and knowing her brother wasn’t much of a reader, if it held Elijah’s attention, she knew it had to be a really good story.

She’d honestly been surprised when the box of books arrived. Sean had promised he’d send her copies of his books so she wouldn’t have to buy them., but she thought it had just been talk. So few people kept their promises, especially to people they’d only just met, but the package arrived the second week of December, with a note apologizing for the delay, and explaining that mailing something required driving to the general store that served as their post office. Hannah had left right after Thanksgiving, just missing the snow storm that hit the area, dropping a foot of snow, so Sean hadn’t been able to make the trip for several weeks. She’d left the box in her bedroom, not bothering to hide it, since if he saw it, her father would just assume she’d bought the books herself

Hannah had been telling the truth when she told Sean she wanted to read them, but had stretched that truth in the note she’d included with his Christmas gift when she told him she already had. She felt a bit guilty about the lie, but since she did plan to read each of the books eventually, she didn’t feel it was necessary to tell him the truth. She hoped she’d like the novels, but she’d promised to be honest in her opinion, and believed Sean respected her opinion enough to want her true feelings rather than have her flatter him just to please Elijah.

She planned to skim through the pages, just to get an idea of what the story was like, but she made the mistake of opening to the first page and starting to read. Immediately hooked, she found she couldn’t put it down, and sitting by the light of the small Christmas tree she’d put up in her room and the string of colored lights she’d strung around her window, she finished the entire book in one sitting.

Hannah was glad she could be truthful with Sean about how much she liked the novel, and if the rest of his books were half as good as this one, her lie about having already read them wouldn’t stay a lie for long.

[](https://imgur.com/AiGMJ9h)


End file.
